Skeletons in the Closet
by Little Kunai
Summary: Sam's private family problems have slowly been escalating and one day she comes home from school sick to walk in on an argument her parents didn't expect her to hear.


**Skeletons in the Closet**

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Theraflu

Nyquil or Brawny and I'm not trying to make money off this fic

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**Chapter One**

It was not a good day. Sam had been feeling sluggish and hot all day, her itchy throat began to burn painfully by lunch time and she had a raging headache. To make matters worse, her parents were called and no one answered. Sam would have to walk home alone in the freezing cold.

As she slipped quietly through the door she could hear her parents arguing loudly. The Mansons liked to pretend they were a perfect couple in public but for the last couple of years their arguments grew more frequent and today it was so loud that Sam was sure they wouldn't hear a tornado if it hit them, much less their phone.

She sighed and was about to slink off into her room and blast her music so she could sleep in peace but something caught her attention.

"All these years of preserving your wholesome image and this is how you treat me?"

_Wholesome image?._ Sam wondered.

"Now wait just a minute you don't have the right to-" Her mom started

"Oh I think I do. I wasn't the one who got knocked up by Vince Tanner."

"My parents would have kicked me out if they'd found out! You know what they're like." Her mother sounded deeply distressed.

So…this meant that her dad was actually some guy named Vince Tanner?

This was not what the sick teen had been expecting to come home to and she slipped quietly back out the door. An icy gust blew against her face and Sam pulled out her cell phone.

"Tuck here what's up?"

"I need you to get a little info for me."

"On what?"

"On a guy named Vince Tanner."

A car drove by blaring loud music as it passed her.

"Are you outside? I thought you were sent home sick?" Tuck scowled at the other end.

"My parents are fighting, kinda hard to get peace and quiet when you cant even hear the phone ring." Sam stated flatly.

"You could come over if-"

"Its cool." Sam coughed. "I'll just wait a couple hours for them to cool down ok? Besides I don't want to get you guys sick."

"Yeah sure whatever you say. Hold on I got a call on the other line."

"Kay."

Tucker didn't have a call on the other line but he was going to make one. He knew his dad went through Sam's neighborhood on his way home from work and asked if he would pick her up.

Sam rubbed her arms vigorously as she walked up and down the sidewalk.

"Hey stranger need a lift?"

Sam turned, Mr. Foley smiled uncomfortably at the sight of the sick teen. She looked perfectly miserable standing out here and had been coming over more and more because of 'family problems" not that either of them should have eavesdropped on Tucker and Sam's private conversations but still…

"No its ok, I don't wanna get you guys sick I was just on my way home." Sam lied.

"Get in." He said firmly and opened the door.

Seeing he wouldn't take no for an answer Sam reluctantly got in.

They sat in uncomfortable silence while the heater blasted. She drowsed off only to be woken up about 10 minutes later and was quickly ushered into the guest bedroom by Mrs. Foley with a bottle of Nyquil and a spoon in her hands.

Sam took a dose, wrinkling her nose and called home.

"Oh honey I am so sorry, I just got the message from the school. Where are you?" Her mother sounded like she had been crying.

"I'm at Tuck's house. I've just got a little cold so don't worry too much." Sam said a little more frostily then she intended.

Her mother sniffled a little. "Well if its ok with them then…" She trailed off.

Sam hung up in disgust.

"Well I'm glad it's the weekend anyway." She muttered.

"Knock knock." Tucker called from behind the doorway.

"Hey Tuck." She croaked.

"I got good news."

"What's that?" She asked.

"I found out who this Vince Tanner guy is."

He pulled up basic info, when he was born, where he lived, what schools he attended and… when he died? The two teens blinked.

There was even a picture of him and…

"Hey Sam does he look kinda familiar?" Tuck said.

Sam frowned. "Yeah…he kinda does…" The man was 5'4 with black hair and unusual violet eyes, he was beefy and had an arrogant smirk on his face, he had a black goatee and wore a red black and gray flannel over a black shirt designed to show off his barrel chest and muscular arms.

"He looks like he could be the mascot for Brawny." Sam snorted. They both laughed.

She snuggled deeper under her blankets, covering her coughs.

"So why are you interested in this guy?"

Sam frowned a little.

"Promise not to tell?" She asked.

Tucker promised.

She told him about the argument she'd walked into and he let a low whistle.

"Wow! That's not what I…wow!" He wasn't sure what to say.

Sam could barely keep her eyes open.

"Well what do you think about it?" He demanded.

Sam frowned, how _did _she feel about it?

"I dunno."

Tucker and Sam had known each other since 2nd grade and sleeping over at each others houses weren't as awkward as it could have been.

The little cold turned out to be a raging flu and Mrs. Foley dropped Sam off the next day with a thermos of soup and a sympathetic eye.

"Sam…" Her mother stood there wringing her hands. Her eyes were showing dark bags and were slightly red. She did something she hadn't done since Sam was a child, walking over, she lay her hand over her forehead and grimaced.

"Your burning up sweethea-" she stopped short.

"Go get in bed, I…I bought some Theraflu and hot tea."

Sam grunted and headed up the stairs, Pam hesitantly followed.

"Sam…we…were gonna try and make this work ok?"

Her head jerked at her mother's words.

"When your feeling up to it there's some things the three of us need to talk about." Her mother swallowed hard.

Sam had to fight off a grimace, the last thing she wanted to do was talk about this before she got some answers of her own. She just hoped Danny would be willing to help her find this Vince Tanner guy.


End file.
